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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It can be easy to lament our current situation, so today I would like to open with a message of gratitude. I feel very fortunate at this time and have been counting my blessings daily. Like many of you reading this, I am lucky enough to have a stable home, supportive family, and easy access to internet and phone services. I am able to continue doing the work I love remotely, connecting with all of you and advocating for you in Salem. There are members of our community in Washington County and across the state without all of this security and comfort. At the state and local level, we are doing all we can to support these vulnerable individuals and families. We are working to ensure that we not only survive this crisis, but emerge stronger with greater understanding and support for those who have long lived with the uncertainty and insecurity that has hit so many of us for the first time in this crisis.
Thank you for allowing me to share my gratitude with you. I hope you will take a moment today to consider what you are grateful for, and what you can do to support our friends and neighbors who are struggling with the economic and emotional hardships of this crisis.
I am also feeling grateful for all of the natural beauty of Oregon. I hope you take a moment to appreciate nature today on the 50th anniversary of earth day!
Tomorrow, Thursday 4/23, at 10am the Emergency Board will meet to appropriate funds to address some of Oregon’s most dire needs, and to fill in some of the gaps left after federal action. Speaker Kotek published some helpful details about the funding proposals, which you can see below.
The legislative Joint Emergency Board’s agenda can be found here and the supporting materials here. Back in March, the same committee met and dedicated some money to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, but this is the first opportunity since Stay Home, Save Lives went into effect for legislators to meet to take budget actions. The meeting will be held remotely, and you can stream the meeting by going to the committee’s page.
- $12 million – Safe Shelter and Rental Assistance
- Rental assistance and safe shelter alternatives for individuals who have lost income due to COVID-19 and shelter for individuals at risk of infection or health problems due to inadequate shelter or housing.
- $10 million – Oregon Worker Relief Fund
- Payments to workers ineligible for wage replacement payments from traditional unemployment insurance programs or unable to qualify for unemployment benefits due to immigration status.
- $10 million* – Small Business Assistance
- Establishes an assistance program for small businesses with no more than 25 employees impacted by COVID-19 economic restrictions that have not received support from the federal CARES Act. *The $10 million small business assistance program will include $5 million from the Emergency Fund matched with $5 million from existing funds in the executive branch’s Business, Innovation and Trade Division.
- $2 million – Domestic Violence Housing Support
- Emergency housing for victims of domestic and sexual violence.
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New testing guidance: The Oregon Health Authority announced new guidelines that expand recommendations of who should be tested for coronavirus. This includes:
- People living or working in congregate care or group living facilities;
- Underserved or marginalized populations, including racial and ethnic minority groups; and
- Essential frontline workers, including those providing health care services and those serving the public, such as grocery store workers.
- In addition, if supplies allow, people without symptoms who live or work within a congregate care or group setting can be considered for testing. The guidelines continue to allow health care providers to make clinical decisions about their patients
- The full revised guidance is available here
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Federal Update: The U.S. Senate passed a bill to add money to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was part of the CARES Act and ran out of money last week. Oregon businesses were approved for 18,732 loans through the small business loan program, totaling $3.8 billion. Many small businesses are still hurting and this $310 billion addition along with provisions to help minority-owned businesses and those in underserved areas could help alleviate some of that strain. The $484 billion bill will also fund a small business emergency grant and loan program ($60 billion), increase hospital support ($75 billion) and increase nationwide coronavirus testing capacity ($25 billion). The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the bill later this week.
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National Numbers:
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Oregon Status Report: Oregon has 57 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Oregon, bringing our total number of confirmed cases to 2059. Tragically we have had a total of 78 Oregonians die from COVID-19. Washington County still has one of the highest case counts at 425 confirmed cases. You can read more details about today's numbers here (note this directs you to a PDF of Oregon’s case counts and other data as of 4/22/2020). You can review on-going updates from OHA by clicking on the table below.
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Student Loans: Senator Jeff Merkley has compiled a helpful FAQ (frequently asked questions document) for individuals with student loans and how their loans interact with the federal CARES Act. Federal loan payments are suspended until September 30 and interest is waived. If you have a student loan held by the federal government, you do not need to take any action to suspend your payments. Your loan servicer might not inform you of this, though. You can read the full FAQ here and get further help at www.studentaid.gov. Please let me know if you’re having any problems!
K-12 Resources: Forest Grove School District has updated their distance learning page with schedules and resources. Hillsboro School District has updated their coronavirus page, with updates on meal delivery and resources for distance learning.
Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted has also published some online learning resources here.
Telehealth and OHP: If you get your health care through the Oregon Health Plan, you can get access to care without having to leave your home. You can make telehealth appointments for medical, mental health, addictions treatment, and dental care. Talk to your health care provider about your options or get more information by going to ohp.oregon.gov or calling 211.
 Behavioral Health Resources:
In these challenging times, you may be experiencing new mental health challenges or have increased difficulties managing an existing illness. There are online resources to help anyone who needs new or added support at this time.
- Oregon Recovery Network: Online directory for a variety of recovery meetings and peer services. Visit oregonrecoverynetwork.org
- 4th Dimension Recovery Center: Addiction recovery support for adults aged 18-35. Virtual meetings and telephone support available. Visit 4drecovery.org/virtualmeetings or call 971-703-4623.
- David Romprey Warmline: Intentional Peer Support service for individuals living with mental illness. Staffed by trained peer support specialists. Visit communitycounselingsolutions.org/warmline or call 800-698-2392.
- NAMI Oregon: Information, support, and advocacy for people who experience mental illness. Visit namior.org or reach the helpline at 503-230-8009, 800-343-6264, or namioregon@namior.org
- Oregon Family Support Network: Support, advocacy, and training for families parenting youth with behavioral health challenges. Visit www.ofsn.org or call 503-363-8068.
- Lines for Life: Suicide prevention organization with specific resources for youth, military personnel and their families, and those affected by substance abuse problems. Visit www.linesforlife.org or call one of their helplines.
- Suicide Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, 1-888-628-9454 for Spanish
- Alcohol and Drug Helpline: 1-800-923-4357
- Military Helpline: 1-888-457-4838
- Youthline: 1-877-968-8491 or text teen2teen to 839863
- Washington County Mental Health Resources
- Crisis Line: 503-291-9111
- General Access: 503-291-1155
- For a more comprehensive list of resources visit this OHA Page and scroll down to the “Resources for the Community” then to “behavioral health”
While COVID-19 will make it hard for us to celebrate EarthDay50 in person, there are lots of ways to mark the day virtually!
Find Live, Virtual Events at EarthDay.org
Check out Earth Day Oregon to participate in the #MyPlanetMyPledge challenge
Read about the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in this Oregonian Story.
Congressman Blumenauer (then Portland Commissioner) and Senator Wyden (then Congressman) on Earth Day in 1990. (Photo from Oregonian)
Employers and Employees
Education Links
Local Government
Utilities Assistance
Food and Housing Assistance
View Past Updates, Share and Subscribe:
If there was COVID-related information in a past newsletter that you want to go back to, but find you’ve deleted it, you can always go to my legislative website (http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain), click on “News and Information,” and you’ll find them all there. You can also share this site with your friends and loved ones, so they can view past newsletters, and subscribe to future updates.
Grateful to my cat, Francy, for keeping me company as I distance from the rest of my family!
Yours truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
House District 29
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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